This Must Be the Place

I loved reading this book. It took me to Berlin where I went on a student exchange 23 years ago. To see the city without the wall was great. The experience of Hope on the subway (she thought it was free, but learned no) was so realistic. I mean, she was thinking of WWII and then this happened. It sent a cold chill down my spine.

Hope, a dislocated New Yorker seeking escape from a recent stillbirth and the trauma of the recent destruction of 911 and Walter, a has-been actor who is half American and half German find themselves neighbors in a once elegant apartment building in Berlin. Hope has arrived in Berlin to join her husband Dave, a economist working on a project in nearby Poland. He leaves her in this foreign city for long periods of time where she knows no one and can't speak the language. Walter once famous on a German TV series spends his time dubbing Tom Cruise's voice in movies and dreams of returning to Hollywood a second time to seek his fortune. This seemingly simple story of two lonely neighbors is in reality a rich and complex exploration of dislocation, identity and the inexorable pull of history. It is beautifully written and satisfying on many levels from its first page to its last. I highly recommend it.

do not let this book pass you by...it is witty and bright, engaging and illuminating. fantastic references to the 80s, woven artfully into the newness and hipness that is berlin. one of my favorites already - by page three -

... and a great read for anybody else. This is a seriously good book -- fun to read and food for thought. A fascinating story that interweaves personal relationships, history, the expat experience, and dead-on atmospherics of post-Wall Berlin.

This book nails a feeling that is common to travelers and expatriates alike, the bittersweetness of being caught between two cultures. Its portrayal of modern-day Berlin is dead-on (I should know, I live there!), but the story feels much more universal. The interaction between Walter and Hope has all the poignancy of stunted romance between two people lost in midlife. And the writing is as polished and glistening as well-worn marble steps - everything feels immediately permanent, as an instant classic should.